Beautiful Bay Trees
"Neither witch nor devil, nor thunder or lightening will hurt a man in a place where a Bay Tree is", said Culpepper. Bay trees ( Laurus nobilis ) are beautiful trees with dark, glossy, aromatic leaves that have enriched gardens for centuries.
Although Bay leaves are a favourite addition to every cooks kitchen, the tree is often difficult to obtain. Bay trees are slow growing ( I planted mine 14 years ago and it is now 18 feet high) and keep a lovely shape as they grow. They can reach grand proportions after many years, but can be cut back periodically without any adverse effect.
Bay trees are excellent grown as standards. The dark glossy foliage, and formal leaf shape gives an elegant appearance to the standard trees, which can be grown in tubs and placed each side of an entrance door to your home, in front of restaurants, hotels, or a balcony garden. Keep the tubs moist at all times, and feed occasionally with well decayed manure.
Bay leaves can be used fresh from the tree or dried. Dry the leaves by leaving them in a cool, preferably dust free, and airy place for a few days and when dry put them into an airtight jar.
Plant your Bay tree in full sun and in rich, moist and well drained soil. It will tolerate a little shade, but should be protected from winds. Protect from frost for the first 2 years of growth, or if you live in a frost area container grown plants would be better. Move inside if temperatures fall below 5F (-15C ).
Bay leaves can be harvested all year round, and have many uses.
*Add dry leaves to vinegar for added flavour.
*Place in a flour bin to deter weevils.
*Add to bath water to relieve aching muscles.
*Hang in bunches or make a wreath to sweeten the air.
*Add Dry crumbled leaves to potpourri.
Add a bay leaf to marinades,stock,pate,curry,game and poached fish liquid and remove leaf before serving.
Include in bouquet garni for soups,stews,and sauces.
Boil in milk to flavour custards and rice puddings.
You can also add leaves to your rice storage jar, to add light flavour.
A Bay tree is a delightful addition to any garden, either planted out or in a container. Please note that all laurels are poisonous with the exception of the true Bay also known as the Sweet Bay.
For more about herbs go to:
Do you love roses? Go to:
Great Garden Products Go to:
Until next Time Happy Gardening
Margarete
Although Bay leaves are a favourite addition to every cooks kitchen, the tree is often difficult to obtain. Bay trees are slow growing ( I planted mine 14 years ago and it is now 18 feet high) and keep a lovely shape as they grow. They can reach grand proportions after many years, but can be cut back periodically without any adverse effect.
Bay trees are excellent grown as standards. The dark glossy foliage, and formal leaf shape gives an elegant appearance to the standard trees, which can be grown in tubs and placed each side of an entrance door to your home, in front of restaurants, hotels, or a balcony garden. Keep the tubs moist at all times, and feed occasionally with well decayed manure.
Bay leaves can be used fresh from the tree or dried. Dry the leaves by leaving them in a cool, preferably dust free, and airy place for a few days and when dry put them into an airtight jar.
Plant your Bay tree in full sun and in rich, moist and well drained soil. It will tolerate a little shade, but should be protected from winds. Protect from frost for the first 2 years of growth, or if you live in a frost area container grown plants would be better. Move inside if temperatures fall below 5F (-15C ).
Bay leaves can be harvested all year round, and have many uses.
*Add dry leaves to vinegar for added flavour.
*Place in a flour bin to deter weevils.
*Add to bath water to relieve aching muscles.
*Hang in bunches or make a wreath to sweeten the air.
*Add Dry crumbled leaves to potpourri.
Add a bay leaf to marinades,stock,pate,curry,game and poached fish liquid and remove leaf before serving.
Include in bouquet garni for soups,stews,and sauces.
Boil in milk to flavour custards and rice puddings.
You can also add leaves to your rice storage jar, to add light flavour.
A Bay tree is a delightful addition to any garden, either planted out or in a container. Please note that all laurels are poisonous with the exception of the true Bay also known as the Sweet Bay.
For more about herbs go to:
Ants Pants Gardening Newsletter
Do you love roses? Go to:
Great Garden Products Go to:
Specially Selected Garden Products
Until next Time Happy Gardening
Margarete
posted by M. R. Abel @ 10:12 PM
2 Comments:
At November 17, 2005,
Anonymous said…
Hi there,
I just ran across your site and enjoyed reading through everything.
I'm trying to get a blog going on my site too. But I dont think i have the patience to do it!
--Amy
My flowering shrubs Site
At December 24, 2005,
Anonymous said…
I skim a lot of blogs, and so far yours is in the Top 3 of my list of favorites. I'm going to dive in and try my hand at it, so wish me luck.
I've got a site you might be interested in (mine is about gardening caring for roses ) I know, it sounds strange, but it's like anything, once you learn more about it, it's pretty cool. It's mostly about gardening caring for roses related articles and subjects.
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